Spring Break
Fair price, good food: the real Camino
High on the Hog
Robert Garner
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Lifestyles
You can go ahead and say goodbye to all the "big-name" Mexican restaurants that we are all familiar with. If you have never been to El Camino Real, put down the paper and go there now. People I know who have eaten there have all said great things about it, but I had never been until very recently.
Getting there is no problem - you can find it on School Avenue, not far from the intersection with Sixth Street.
El Camino Real almost fits the criteria for a "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant, and we all know that those are the best kind. A large mirror covers one of the walls, which made me think that the room was twice as big as it really was. They fooled me.
The inside was comfortable and open enough to feel plenty relaxed for a good meal after a week of tests. The salsa, however, was probably the low point of the meal. And when I say "low," it's kind of like flying a Cessna. While the flavor was pretty good and it was obviously made fresh, it was brought down by the fact that it was really runny, which made for a lot of virtually empty chips. The good news, fellow thick chip lovers, is that the chips were as hearty and delicious as the salsa was runny.
The first, and maybe the best, surprise of the night came when I took my first look at the menu to order some cheese dip. A large bowl of white cheese dip costs only $3.50. While I tend to watch the price of gas a little more closely than the price of white cheese, it seems that it would probably cost more to make the stuff yourself than you can get it here. And a large cheese dip costs $6 at most Mexican restaurants. And El Camino Real's large cheese dip is aptly named.
Some places try to trick you by bringing cheese dip to you in a long, shallow pan. Not here. They bring it on to you in a large cereal bowl, for lack of a better description. It's enough to feed about five hungry queso-craving college kids, or a few small dinosaurs.
Of all the places I have eaten in Fayetteville, El Camino Real offers more bang for your buck, more queso for your coin, more deliciousness for your dinero than anywhere else. That includes meals, appetizers, margaritas and beers.
Getting there is no problem - you can find it on School Avenue, not far from the intersection with Sixth Street.
El Camino Real almost fits the criteria for a "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant, and we all know that those are the best kind. A large mirror covers one of the walls, which made me think that the room was twice as big as it really was. They fooled me.
The inside was comfortable and open enough to feel plenty relaxed for a good meal after a week of tests. The salsa, however, was probably the low point of the meal. And when I say "low," it's kind of like flying a Cessna. While the flavor was pretty good and it was obviously made fresh, it was brought down by the fact that it was really runny, which made for a lot of virtually empty chips. The good news, fellow thick chip lovers, is that the chips were as hearty and delicious as the salsa was runny.
The first, and maybe the best, surprise of the night came when I took my first look at the menu to order some cheese dip. A large bowl of white cheese dip costs only $3.50. While I tend to watch the price of gas a little more closely than the price of white cheese, it seems that it would probably cost more to make the stuff yourself than you can get it here. And a large cheese dip costs $6 at most Mexican restaurants. And El Camino Real's large cheese dip is aptly named.
Some places try to trick you by bringing cheese dip to you in a long, shallow pan. Not here. They bring it on to you in a large cereal bowl, for lack of a better description. It's enough to feed about five hungry queso-craving college kids, or a few small dinosaurs.
Of all the places I have eaten in Fayetteville, El Camino Real offers more bang for your buck, more queso for your coin, more deliciousness for your dinero than anywhere else. That includes meals, appetizers, margaritas and beers.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
6yrhog
posted 11/21/08 @ 7:58 AM CST
I'm going to be starved for white cheese dip all day now! Thanks for telling us about this place.
Post a Comment